How to Set and Meet Prayer Goals
Need to establish a prayer routine? Try these tips on how to set and meet prayer goals.
If there ever was a day when you must know God’s will and purpose for your life, it’s now. God is constantly changing and rearranging things in your favour—but if you’re going to keep up, you must know God’s perfect plan for your life—and how to carry it out in His power!
How do you do that?
Well, for this goal, you don’t have to diet, run three miles a day, or go back to college. You don’t have to endure training, conference calls or interviews. This goal is achieved in the quiet, still and private moments you have alone. It’s achieved through prayer.
When you invest time in prayer, you get so much in return: wisdom, understanding, peace, comfort, direction and the deliverance of promises. But for many believers, establishing a regular prayer time can be challenging.
If you need help developing a habit of daily prayer, here are five steps to help you set and meet prayer goals:
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Evaluate your schedule. Where do you have the most margin in your day? Perhaps your house is quiet early in the morning, and rising before everyone else is the best option. Or, maybe your lunch hour is a time when you can slip away somewhere quiet and enjoy time with the Lord. Whatever time you find, be sure it’s a time you can stick with long term.
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Purchase or select supporting materials. One thing that will help you build a meaningful prayer life is to spend time reading about those who have already built their own meaningful prayer life. One book mentioned by Billye Brim on a BVOV broadcast is The Secrets of Praying Heaven and Earth Together. Another powerful tool is the KCM How to Get Your Prayers Answered Lifeline Kit.
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Set a goal. What time will you pray? How long will you pray? Setting a goal will help you establish a routine for your time with the Lord and make it easy to know exactly what to expect each day.
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Eliminate distractions. If you know people or pets will have needs during your quiet time, plan to meet those needs ahead of time if possible. Silence your phone and leave it out of sight. If you are distracted by a messy kitchen, pray in a place that is out of view or clean the kitchen before your set appointment. Whatever the potential distractions, plan ahead to avoid them. Satan will do his best to keep you from your time—so determine to spend time in prayer no matter what.
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Keep in a spirit of prayer. You can train your spirit to desire prayer the way your body desires food. The more time you spend in prayer, the more you will crave it. As you go about your day, spend time praying in the spirit—driving to work, sitting at your desk or grocery shopping. As you keep in a spirit of prayer, when your set time with the Lord approaches, you will be driven by a desire to spend that time with Him, no matter what interruptions might come your way.
Watch this video from Gloria Copeland and Billye Brim as they teach more about praying like a seasoned pray-er.
When you determine to strengthen your prayer life by setting and meeting prayer goals, you will go to new levels in your spiritual life. You will hear from God on a regular, intimate basis and often find that you have answers before you even ask of Him. This is the life God desires. This is the life of peace, joy, hope and faith.